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A new monthly event organized by is set to debut Monday evening at with a look at why the Legislature is important and the work that state lawmakers plan to focus on this session, which opened Wednesday.

The good-government nonprofit has partnered with the downtown coffee house and cocktail bar to produce a free series of events on the last Monday of each month. Called “Public House,” the events aim to co-mingle “politics and humor in a casual pau hana atmosphere,” according to a Common Cause news release Thursday.

Special guest panelists and clips from will highlight issues that Hawaii is facing today, the release says. The event is hosted by Eric Cordeiro, with music by DJ Jet Boy.

The first Public House will look back on hot topics of 2015 and what’s on tap for 2016.

Panelists include yours truly and Ikaika Hussey, board member with the Hawaii Alliance for Progressive Action, or .

“Manifest is excited to support Common Cause Hawaii with an event focused on bringing people closer to their political systems. Our space has always been curated to welcome a broad variety of events and Public House utilizes not only our location in proximity to the capitol but our diverse clientele through quality dialogue and well-made drinks,” said Nicole Reid, co-founder of Manifest.

The public is encouraged to join the conversation and share their opinions, the release says. Check-in at 6 p.m. Event is set to go from 6:30 to 8 p.m. RSVP .

“It’s no surprise that people don’t understand the impacts of political decisions,” said Carmille Lim, executive director of Common Cause Hawaii.

“Through Public House, we strive to help people talk about political issues more freely, and understand ways in which they can affect our political process,” she said. “Political involvement should not be limited to the elite, which is a common misconception by the average citizen. Our goal with Manifest is to make politics more digestible, by talking about politics through humor and with a conversational tone.”